Grounded = More Qi?

[Lukks]

So I did some attempts to practice outdoors on the grass and I felt more eletrical sensations than when I practice indoors in my apartment in the 2nd floor, has any of tou felt this too or is it just a placebo effect?

 

I think it makes sense because of the yin chi from the earth but I'm still full ignorant on these subjects I would like to hear it from you! 

 

Thanks in advance!

[kakapo]

I think a better question to ask would be:

 

Is it possible to absorb yin chi while not grounded?

 

Some systems are adamant that you cannot.

 

In my opinion look at the evidence backing the system. 

 

If there is good evidence assume they know what they are talking about.

 

If there is only personal testimony backing the system,  do not assume they know what they are talking about.

 

Just my $0.02

 

 

[Lukks]

14 minutes ago, kakapo said:

I think a better question to ask would be:

 

Is it possible to absorb yin chi while not grounded?

 

Some systems are adamant that you cannot.

 

I like the different approach to my question, and yes that feels like a valid point that I also would like to hear more about

[Sahaja]

13 hours ago, Lukks said:

 

I like the different approach to my question, and yes that feels like a valid point that I also would like to hear more about

My understanding is that most of the actual qi we work with inside us  in qi gong is produced inside ourselves at the basic or intermediate level. . However practice outdoors does have special benefits that are gained from the interaction of our qi with qi fields in nature,  often can be quite mentally refreshing or calming. There are even specific qi gongs that are designed to enhance this interaction. Can also get some of these benefits from having the senses fully open and listening closely just when walking slowly in nature.  

[ChiDragon]

19 hours ago, Lukks said:

I think it makes sense because of the yin chi from the earth but I'm still full ignorant on these subjects I would like to hear it from you! 

It is the yang chi from the sun that you want to absorb. However, yin chi is something that you want to avoid. Yin chi is the opposite of yang chi. It is not good for you in any way.

[Ascetic]

1 hour ago, ChiDragon said:

It is the yang chi from the sun that you want to absorb. However, yin chi is something that you want to avoid. Yin chi is the opposite of yang chi. It is not good for you in any way.

Technically I would disagree. Some people have an affinity for Ghosts and the Realms of Ghost Kings. Yin helps with this, and lots of Yin (close to the point of overdosing) makes certain things possible and greatly increases the efficiency of Cultivation.

I will say this though: Yin tends to lead one towards a path where Body is capable of doing everything without you, from Chakras to Spiritual experiences or even the Painful process of Meridians opening. Like you will progress quickly, but you'll probably never be told about your own progression or experience anything other than the accumulation of Yin.

Very different from people that need meditation/spiritual technique or have strict practices. Very clear results because of their own effort, and there is no string that can take away the personal might of even restoring Jing in one's own atmosphere. If someone with strong Yang stops their practice, it's fair to say their efficiency will be damaged. Unlike with Yin, which is almost the opposite.

Edited September 24 by Emaciated Ascetic

[Lukks]

1 hour ago, ChiDragon said:

It is the yang chi from the sun that you want to absorb. However, yin chi is something that you want to avoid. Yin chi is the opposite of yang chi. It is not good for you in any way.

 

Okay now I have more questions 

 

Can you elaborate more on "why yin chi is bad"? It's Pros and Cons.

I would like to hear more on this subject if possible

 

And what if someone practices indoors? He is not absorbing yang chi nor yin chi? So this person is just clearing some energy blockages and that's all? So is it correct to say that indoors qigong has less benefit than doing it outside on the sun?

 

And  practicing outside but at night also have less benefits, because if there's no sun then there's no yang qi.

 

Edited September 24 by Lukks

[Lukks]

 

5 hours ago, Sahaja said:

However practice outdoors does have special benefits that are gained from the interaction of our qi with qi fields in nature,  often can be quite mentally refreshing or calming.

 

By this your also referring to the benefits of yang chi from the sun and yin qi from the earth or your just referring to the refreshing and calming effects of outdoors practice?

[ChiDragon]

34 minutes ago, Lukks said:

Can you elaborate more on "why yin chi is bad"? I've seen people on this forum saying that you need to absorb yin chi and it's good and etc.. I would like to hear more on this subject if possible

In regard to the absorption of yin and yang chi is only a TCM concept. They are two categories were use the classify two types of chi. By inducing the  meaning as defined from Yijing. The Yang attribution is positive and yin is negative. Hence, yang energy is good and negative is bad. For example, yang chi is the positive energy from the sun. The

 yin chi is from earth. By definition,  yin is negative energy, therefore, it's not good for the body.

Edited September 24 by ChiDragon

[ChiDragon]

24 minutes ago, Lukks said:

And what if someone practices indoors? He is not absorbing yang chi nor yin chi? So this person is just clearing some energy blockages and that's all? So is it correct to say that indoors qigong has less benefit than doing it outside on the sun?

Actually, weather you practice indoor or outdoor makes no difference. However, outdoor has more fresh air, it has a better source of energy for you to absorb which is oxygen. That is the only advantage for outdoor practice.

[Lukks]

22 minutes ago, ChiDragon said:

In regard to the absorption of yin and yang chi is only a TCM concept. They are two categories were use the classify two types of chi. By inducing the  meaning as defined from Yijing. The Yang attribution is positive and yin is negative. Hence, yang energy is good and negative is bad. For example, yang chi is the positive energy from the sun. The

 yin chi is from earth. By definition,  yin is negative energy, therefore, it's not good for the body.

 

15 minutes ago, ChiDragon said:

Actually, weather you practice indoor or outdoor makes no difference. However, outdoor has more fresh air, it has a better source of energy for you to absorb which is oxygen. That is the only advantage for outdoor practice.

 

Oh I get it, thanks a lot!!!

 

 

[doc benway]

On 9/23/2024 at 7:47 PM, Lukks said:

So I did some attempts to practice outdoors on the grass and I felt more eletrical sensations than when I practice indoors in my apartment in the 2nd floor, has any of tou felt this too or is it just a placebo effect?

 

I think it makes sense because of the yin chi from the earth but I'm still full ignorant on these subjects I would like to hear it from you! 

 

Thanks in advance!

 

I think ignorance on these subjects is arguably a great strength!

There is nothing that detracts from and obstructs experiential practice like intellectual labeling and analysis.

Feel what you feel, pay close attention to that, and trust in it!

Connecting to our Mother Earth has great potential for developing qualities of many kinds. 

Label them this or that if you must, it helps communication, but keep practicing, be fully open to your authentic experience, and trust in it. 

[ChiDragon]

1 hour ago, doc benway said:

Feel what you feel, pay close attention to that, and trust in it!

Label them this or that if you must, it helps communication.....

Ofc with an open-mind, don't just trust the things that you might believed blindly.

PS Things are subject to change!
PPS You are a gentlemen and a scholar!

Edited September 25 by ChiDragon

[dwai]

On 9/23/2024 at 6:59 PM, kakapo said:

Is it possible to absorb yin chi while not grounded?

 

When are we ever not grounded? Ground is a relative thing. You are grounded if you are on a stable surface and gravity is working on you. You are grounded, whether on top of a mountain or at the lowest point on earth, whether on a ship's deck in the middle of the ocean or an airplane 30,000 feet above the surface. Gravity (yin) is still acting upon you. 

 

But there is value to practicing outdoors—we can connect with external qi when we do so with our eyes open (without focusing on any one object). 

[Taomeow]

3 hours ago, dwai said:

When are we ever not grounded? Ground is a relative thing. You are grounded if you are on a stable surface and gravity is working on you. You are grounded, whether on top of a mountain or at the lowest point on earth, whether on a ship's deck in the middle of the ocean or an airplane 30,000 feet above the surface. Gravity (yin) is still acting upon you. 

 

But there is value to practicing outdoors—we can connect with external qi when we do so with our eyes open (without focusing on any one object). 

 

The term "grounded" as used in some contexts does not refer to gravity and has the same meaning as in things electrical, e.g. as a "grounded' vs "ungrounded" wire.  In this sense it was originally proposed in relation to bioelectricity which exists in the human body, primarily in the cell membranes.  Different electrical potentials are created via particular concentrations of ions operating throughout cellular ion membranes.  It's a fundamental metabolic mechanism that allows every cell to "decide" what to take in (and how much of it), what to stop from permeating the membrane, and what to expel from the interior.  It's also how the brain works via synaptic discharges which are electrochemical in nature.  Qi, doubtlessly, has something (not everything!!) to do with electricity as well, as shown, e.g., in experiments conducted in a number of countries that consistently measured higher electrical potentials in the acupoints than in surrounding tissues.

 

There's a theory which I take to have at least some truth about it that for our bioelectrical processes to work properly we need physical contact with the actual ground under our feet without the mediation of shoe soles, flooring, asphalt, concrete, and so on.  Unlike the surface of the earth whose electrical potential is zero, all those surfaces are capable of accumulating static electricity that may constantly and continuously interfere with our bioelectrical processes.  In environment where high precision electronics are used, they use special flooring that is grounded and discharges that static into, well, the ground.  The theory exists that asserts we need to do that as well, the more the merrier.  

 

There's other contexts too of course -- e.g. "grounded" in the psychological sense, as opposed to a "space cadet."

[liminal_luke]

Most people identify themselves with their heads.  When asked where in their body they sense consciousness, they´ll answer their head, rather than say their big toe.  Something in us resists the ground.  This is why we think too much and sense too little, why we get headaches, why we tend to breath with our chests rather than our lower abdomens.  Grounding is physiological and psychological, both at once.  It has to do with trust and feeling safe and the willingness to be here, really here, on this planet.  To be grounded is to say yes to the earth.

 

PS: Go low to get high.

Edited September 26 by liminal_luke

[Antares]

3 hours ago, Taomeow said:

There's other contexts too of course -- e.g. "grounded" in the psychological sense

I believe it more depends on whether one's meridians are open and thus one can be grounded on the level of qi. Also "ground" is not physical in this context. Ground is Earth which is the central element in WuXing, so psychological state depends on the state of energy - whether all elements are balanced and how qi flows in meridians.

[kakapo]

11 hours ago, dwai said:

When are we ever not grounded? Ground is a relative thing. You are grounded if you are on a stable surface and gravity is working on you. You are grounded, whether on top of a mountain or at the lowest point on earth, whether on a ship's deck in the middle of the ocean or an airplane 30,000 feet above the surface. Gravity (yin) is still acting upon you. 

 

But there is value to practicing outdoors—we can connect with external qi when we do so with our eyes open (without focusing on any one object). 

 

When I say grounded I meant electrically grounded, it's easy to test if you are electrically grounded.

 

There are plenty of times we are not electrically grounded.

[Nungali]

On 9/24/2024 at 9:47 AM, Lukks said:

So I did some attempts to practice outdoors on the grass and I felt more eletrical sensations than when I practice indoors in my apartment in the 2nd floor, has any of tou felt this too or is it just a placebo effect?

 

I think it makes sense because of the yin chi from the earth but I'm still full ignorant on these subjects I would like to hear it from you! 

 

Thanks in advance!

 

I prefer to practice outdoors on the earth any day ( or night )  .   Any feeling of 'electric' or 'chi' to me is  way down the lists of benefits from training outdoors .  There are MANY of them .

[Nungali]

On 9/25/2024 at 6:45 AM, ChiDragon said:

Actually, weather you practice indoor or outdoor makes no difference. However, outdoor has more fresh air, it has a better source of energy for you to absorb which is oxygen. That is the only advantage for outdoor practice.

 

 

Nah .

 

Does that not depend on WHAT one practices .

 

or did Lukks outline his practice and I missed it .

[ChiDragon]

56 minutes ago, kakapo said:

When I say grounded I meant electrically grounded, it's easy to test if you are electrically grounded.

Why does a human has to be electrical grounded?

[Lukks]

37 minutes ago, Nungali said:

 

 

Nah .

 

Does that not depend on WHAT one practices .

 

or did Lukks outline his practice and I missed it .

 

 

No I didn't haha BUT I was doing ZZ followed by moving Qigong, I felt the increased eletrical sensations since the start of my Zhan Zhuang practice, it's definitely more noticeable outdoors.

 

I was rereading another post I made here about Zhan Zhuang and it kinda went to this topic of yin qi,   @freeform and @Shadow_self said some very interesting stuff about how one should always have a insulating layer like wool or fleece between the skin and the floor, otherwise if you keep direct contact with the grass the Yang Qi you generated will just go away. 

[kakapo]

3 hours ago, ChiDragon said:

Why does a human has to be electrical grounded?

 

 

Some systems teach it is necessary to absorb yin chi, which is required to develop in those systems.

 

Some systems do not have such a requirement or belief. 

 

I guess it boils down to which teacher, and teaching you believe is accurate.

[Neirong]

11 hours ago, Lukks said:

I was rereading another post I made here about Zhan Zhuang and it kinda went to this topic of yin qi,   @freeform and @Shadow_self said some very interesting stuff about how one should always have a insulating layer like wool or fleece between the skin and the floor, otherwise if you keep direct contact with the grass the Yang Qi you generated will just go away. 

 

Following public advice from random people on the internet as a cultivation manual is as bad an idea as it can get.

It does not matter how plausible or believable it may sound; there is likely an error inside that would be throwing your life and potential away.
That is like copying an exam paper from someone who pretends to be smart and brags about it but scores the lowest on all tests.

I have seen some of their posts, and they are riddled with delusions and internal character flaws.

The statement about yang qi leaking to the earth is absurd, but it comes from people who made claims about

"Visualization is not real practice",
"Mercury Ingestion is safe and sound to promote online",
"Spiritual Practice of non-eating and aversion to food,"
"Damien is the great master of Meditation".

Most people who "look" good online come here to brag and boost their image, to fulfill their Ego cravings/desires, tick appreciation points, even if in the same post they are writing how it is vital to cull Ego and how they made a lot of effort in this direction.

It should be further noted that wherever someone disagrees with the person mentioned above and those absurd statements, he falls into ad hominem attacks, and truly believes that the other side of discussion is actually evil incarnationn and spreads lies.

 

Inability to think or accept that you can be wrong and over attachment to acquired views, is one of the key traits of an NPC character, non-awakened being. With those traits they seek others who support their delusional views, and end up forming a Cult.

Spiritual practices to begin with should focus on awakening one true self. There is no point in gaining any abilities or powers, if you remain in the mental state of a monkey.

 

It can be read for entertainment purposes, a lot of those pearls of wisdom end up turning into internal memes in actual cultivation circles, but following such advice will likely get a person killed/malnourished.

---
 

As for the grounding itself, it is possible to connect to the earth through proper practice without a need to sit or stand on it barefoot.

 

The idea that you always need to touch the ground and stand barefoot on it comes from leaked instructions given to beginners. It is not uncommon for Teachers to modify instructions based on students' capabilities.

 

You do not need to stand in the cosmic space and go above the atmosphere to connect to the heaven-upper channel.
If you go high in mountains you can feel that heaven connection is stronger. It would be easier for most people to sense the upper channel in the mountains, but it does not mean you need to sit on the peak of a tall mountain to even practice.

[-ꦥꦏ꧀ ꦱꦠꦿꦶꦪꦺꦴ-]

1 hour ago, Neirong said:

Following public advice from random people on the internet as a cultivation manual is as bad an idea as it can get.

This. Find a good teacher and follow their instructions. Don’t worry about other teachers and lineages, just focus on your own.

 

From what I was taught, there is a slight boost in cultivation when doing it on actual Earth, and also organic substances like wood etc. But not a huge amount that makes it not worthwhile to practice indoors.

 

You also need to consider that if the ground outside is cold or wet, that won’t be good for you over doing it indoors. Not to mention wind, noise or crackheads disturbing your practice.

 

Personally I like to practice barefoot on a silk rug because I’m bougie.

 

Edited September 27 by -ꦥꦏ꧀ ꦱꦠꦿꦶꦪꦺꦴ-